Men in Child Care & Early Education: A Handbook for Administrators and Educators.

Nelson, Bryan G., Ed.; Sheppard, Bruce, Ed.

Noting the scarcity of readily available information about men in child care and early education, this handbook is designed to support and nurture men in the profession, to provide information to men considering the profession, and to inform administrators and others regarding recruiting, retaining, and dealing with the issues of men in child care and early education. The handbook is organized in four parts. Articles in part 1 address issues related to the entry of men in the field of early childhood education and care, including attitudes of directors, recruitment, and hiring practices. Articles in part 2 focus on the unique challenges faced by men in the field, including dealing with accusations of child abuse and professional isolation. Articles in part 3 concern retaining men in early childhood education and care programs. The articles are: (1) "Entering the Field: One Man's Perspective" (Steven Petznich); (2) "My Second Career Is Child Care" (John Suur); (3) "Policy Officer to Kindergarten Teacher: A Career Change" (Paul Tennyson); (4) "'I Want to Be a Preschool Teacher, So Now What Do I Do?'" (Bruce Cunningham); (5) "The Culture in Early Childhood Education and the Preparation of Male Teachers" (Kelvin Seifert); (6) "A Survey: Attitudes of Directors Towards Men" (Tom Masterson); (7) "Recruiting Men to Child Care" (Bruce Sheppard and Bryan G. Nelson); (8) "Hiring a Man: Employment Practices" (Bryan G. Nelson and Bruce Sheppard); (9) "Innocent or Guilty: Dealing with Accusations of Child Abuse" (Coleman Baker and Durwood Collier, Jr.); (10) "Working Conditions and Money" (National Child Care Study); (11) "Isolation: Where Are All the Other Men?" (Bruce Sheppard); (12) "Solutions: A Rural Perspective" (Steve Weber); (13) "Keeping Men in Your Program" (Bruce Sheppard); (14) "Organizing Men in Your Area" (Bruce Sheppard and Bryan G. Nelson); (15) "Common Questions about Men in Child Care" (Bruce Sheppard and Bryan G. Nelson); and (16) "One Conclusion" (Bryan G. Nelson). Some articles contain references. Appended is a list of children's books depicting male teachers and a list of 34 resources. (KB)